In Tim Burton's 1999 adaptation of the story the whole direction of the original is reversed. Ichabod (now a criminal investigator) is not the least bit spiritual. He thinks he can explain everything through a scientific approach. As the first Ichabod was a reflection of society in 1799, so Burton's Ichabod is now a reflection of society at end of this century/millennium (1999).

This reflects our own journey as a culture. We have come face to face with real evil too. It has broken us out of our safe little logical world. Moreover, it has taken some mysterious deaths to wake us up, as well - the holocaust, a couple of World Wars, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, various high school shootings. Spiritual evil is very real to us.

A word about the church: The mainline church in Burton's adaptation is a very real reflection of the condition of mainline denominational churches in today's world. Attendance has been falling off. Mainline churches are closing. Ichabod = "the glory has left." People are going elsewhere for their spiritual nourishment. Independent churches have been experiencing an explosion of growth. People are resonating with churches that believe in miracles and spiritual manifestations of Divine power. The Evangelical churches, and especially the charismatic variety, have been growing faster, worldwide, than any other religion, sect or cult. People are hungry for something more than mainstream fare.

We are also, spiritually vulnerable, as was the original Ichabod. The answer to our need of direction, I believe, is found in God, who will direct every one who asks.

Jesus put it this way:
"Here's what I'm saying:
Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open."
-Luke 11:9 -Message Translation

Prayer is a powerful thing. Use it.

JOHNNY DEPP AND WITCHCRAFT
Subject: Sleepy hollow
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001
From: OPTICAL

Hey i came buy this site cause' im lookin' 4 the evil eye that they drew in the movie i am a witch craft i do, do spells i love johnny depp but witch's are not bad ppl there the same as every body and in the movie it touched me even know it was a movie when they killed the witchs i do wicca/witch craft i ma the leader of the coven so i know alot bout' the subject and i would like to tell u all that it isnt evil it is a spirt that u want every 1 to know bout' u, u odnt belive in god if ur a witch craft but if ur a wiccan u do but u dont worship him i want to say its not evil my great great greta great grandmother was a witch craft and she got killed but my rest of my family says its evil but i am cause' i just am its my way in the movie i belive in all that stuff i seach 4 goust so i belive its true my town is called sleepy hollow and my skool is called sleepy hollow and my road is called westley road which thats what the woods is called if u would liek to e mail me my e mail is...
hurley_freak_182@msn.com
and if u would like to IM me on AIM my s/n is...
OpticalPunx or Mrs JohnnyDepp and my wiccan name is OPTICAL!!!!!!! BLESSED BE!!
OPTICAL

GREAT SYMBOLISM
Subject: Sleep_Hollow
Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2000
From: Twinky

I really loved this movie. I thought the tree of the dead and the feelings attached to it were facinating. A medium between the two worlds, where Ichobod found the victims' severed heads, where the horseman emerged from. - symbolic of hell, don't you think? I didn't especially agree with Katrina and the whole "witchcraft can be good" message, but I think this was a movie about the spiritual world often defying and conquering what we can explain with science. Also, the cinematography was astounding. It was all shot in blue. The blood, in fact, to look red had to be bright orange while shooting. And notice the only thing not blueish in color was the cardinal.... I think it was Ichobod's soul. How about you?

TREE TO HELL
Subject: The Tree
Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2000
From: Jeffrey

Good evening, I saw your web site on some late night news show last night and I been having a great time searching through all of your comments and reviews. I just had one thought about the last viewer comment about Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow- I always saw the woman's hand left in the branches in the tree in a sort of 'beconning' gesture. Inviting into hell, tempting them into destruction, etc. Just my thoughts, let me know what you think.
-Aziraphale
ps, even though it's not much, add this to your comments page if you find it worthy.

Response: Yes I think that's true. -David

POINTING TO THE TREE
Subject: The Tree
Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2000

I wonder about the comment made concerning the tree. "It seems to be a gateway between two worlds." Also, when the horseman made his last descent the arm of the villianess was left, with finger pointing in the direction of the tree. This was the last frame before the obvious transformation in the films view of the world. What do you think?
My response: Interesting comment. I'd have to see the film again.

SLEEPY HOLLOW IS NOT HOLLOW
Subject: Sleepy Hollow is not so "hollow" of a movie...
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999
From: Paul

As a film that is designed to entertain and amuse you Sleepy Hollow is one of the best of the season. The movie runs like a rollercoaster ride and when it's over you can't help but feel dissapointed. Personally I felt the quick, throw it all together to tie it up ending fell miserably into the long list of stylistic cliches other movies like this wrap up like.

However as a Christian what I could not detach myself from, was the deep and somewhat startling spiritual undercurrents that ran through this film. The film as you very correctly point out Mr. Bruce reflects the "spiritual" status of todays society.

The stark, brash, candid visualization of the church as dark, evil and oppressive is not too far off from todays current societal impression of the church. Many simply do not go because our culture, the media, and some (not all ) movies like this one simply cannot allow themselves to proseletyze anything positive about very many things religiously connected. This movie only goes to fuel the negativity already imposed upon the modern evangelical church today. Some of that hostility and negativity comes from the convicting alarm of truth the church sounds. However, other aspects of that negativity quite honestly are the church's own fault.

It was uncomfortably alarming to see the way Burton portrayed the church. On one hand the church stands as the the purest looking structure in the whole town. Signifigantly thick symbolism. On the other hand, the church in Ichabod's dreams is nearly the same vigorously degenerated by a "Terminator-esque" looking Priest flagged in dark, grueling clothing from head to toe. The dark priest serves to show the hyprocritical lie the church entices you with. To add to the darkness of "the church" Burton nearly ruins the movie in which he must stereotype to the utmost extreme the hidden evil that lurks in the most white, squeaky clean churches all over by showing how this darkest of even the darkest preists executes and disgustingly tortures a "good witch" to death in what is probably one of the grossest and stomach churning scenes in recent film.

The "good witch" dies in the movie and it's the churches fault. Interesting concept, but probably more honest to todays society than ever. Youth all over are turning to witchcraft as something to fill them up and this movie is an accurate reflection of how something so Satanic can be so thinly disguised as to have a dividing line of "good witchcraft" and "bad witchcraft".

Talking about proselytizing of values. The movie is a hypothetical poster child for anyone looking for an excuse to get into witchcraft. While it's reflective of the current trend in todays society, its blatantly ignorant in how it degenerates the church as being anything but positive and helpful and completely dangerous in how it paints witchcraft as some source of "salvation" when the intentions are good.

Its such a shame that people are not more aware of the light and salvation that comes through Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ alone. People are searching for something spiritual and their searching in the wrong places accepting the lies the devil has put out before them. Christians fight a spiritual battle. I find that "Sleepy Hollow" is bold, and honest enough ( although somewhat anti-Christian ) that anyone seeking a way to reach those who might be considering dabbling in witchcraft to use this movie as a catalyst for those seeking answers to all the deep interesting signifigant issues this movie serves up for your soul.

Paul

PURITAN FEARS AND VIEWS
Subject: witchcraft and puritans
Date: Mon, 20 Dec 1999
From: Violet

Yeah, Ted earlier has kinda a point. Puritan fear of witchcraft and history of Salem witch trials aside, it does seem unlikely that a woman would die for practicing witchcraft ca. 1770s. All the same, the treatment of Christianity vs. witchcraft was kind of interesting. It got me thinking about the Puritan view towards Catholics. Even now, more than a few Protestant sects regard Catholicism as a mess of Mary-worshipping, idol-loving, blasphemous papists. Catholics have so much STUFF. And to someone who's been brought up in a church with plain walls and a less frequent Eucharist, I can see how it would seem scary and wrong. (On the other hand, I'm freaked out by their really good music.) Pretty eye-opening. But let me point out that some prayer is a kind of spell as well- an attempt to influence the world through the supernatural. So there. This film prompted me to go on another musing over why someone would portray Christianity this way, but I just got the same answer I usually do: in the past and even in the present, religious folk have been cruel and self-righteous. We should not be like that. The End. I love you, Johnny Depp.And next time someone sets a movie in the Hudson Valley, shoot it there. Yes, we can tell the difference between the Hudson Valley and England.
Thanks,
Violet

LOVE DEPP, NOT WITCHCRAFT
Date: The, 16 Dec 1999
From: Heidi

I liked that there was a more in depth ending- as compared to the Disney version- didn't like the witchcraft, but LOVED Johnny Depp ( What can I say...When I was in school I had a full sized poster of him..I find him a guy who can really play the strange characters well- especially Ichobod-( At one point he was pushing the boy with him in front of him because he was afraid- seemed funny.. and yet endearing) he makes them seem more real- and sensitive.
heidi

LARGELY ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND THE OCCULT
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999
From: "Sean Hembree"

Let me start with a disclaimer. I'm not 'anti-movie' and I don't let the ratings dictate what I see. I appreciate the candid application of a Christian world view to real life stuff. However, this movie was largely about witchcraft and the occult. It was presented in a seductive manor. Granted, a lot if not most films are about people who don't act Christianly but this was blatantly Satanic. I had to leave about half way through. I don't have a problem with a lot of films that offend many of my Christian friends but when it comes to the Satanic I won't have my senses tickled or be entertained.
Sleepy Hollow - one to miss! (Deut.18:10)
-Sean Hembree

LARGELY ABOUT WITCHCRAFT AND THE OCCULT
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999
From: "Sean Hembree"

Let me start with a disclaimer. I'm not 'anti-movie' and I don't let the ratings dictate what I see. I appreciate the candid application of a Christian world view to real life stuff. However, this movie was largely about witchcraft and the occult. It was presented in a seductive manor. Granted, a lot if not most films are about people who don't act Christianly but this was blatantly Satanic. I had to leave about half way through. I don't have a problem with a lot of films that offend many of my Christian friends but when it comes to the Satanic I won't have my senses tickled or be entertained.
Sleepy Hollow - one to miss! (Deut.18:10)
-Sean Hembree

LOVED SLEEPY HOLLOW AS A MOVIE, BUT...
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999
From: Ted

OK- the great points about SLEEPY HOLLOW- it was funny & scary! Johnny Depp's alternating sissy & resolute Ichabod Crane was masterfully done- showing that a hero can be deeply flawed but still able to do what needs to be done. I enjoyed looking for the "Tim Burton trademark" imagery, including a hilarious & startling one borrowed from "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" (SH's "Witch in the woods"/PW's "Large Marge"). It's always great to see Christopher Lee (but why such a small part?) Chris Walken has NO lines but was SO COOL as the Horseman. Christina Ricci was lovely (but so skinny! Too much so-hope she is not being unhealthy.) The little boy Ichabod was adorably odd looking (a Big-Eyed Waif painting come to life). A tightly woven story full of cool plot twists. In the best Tim Burton tradition of Dark Fairy Tales. NOW the BIG BUT...(and as PeeWee said "everyone I know has a 'big but'...") this was 1799 New England and the prisons had TORTURE CHAMBERS? and the authorities didn't trust Science & Deductive Reasoning? And when Ichabod was a child, his Wiccan mother was tortured & killed by his Puritan father (which would have been around 1769)? THIS WAS THE PERIOD OF THE FREAKING ENLIGHTENMENT!!! DUH!!!! Plus, every "Christian"- Ichabod's father and the minister (nicely played by Tim Burton veteran Jeffrey Jones) being the main ones, were either villanous or impotent. The Bible was symbolically denigrated. The one redeeming scene on this was how the Horseman could NOT invade the Church, being sacred ground, but even that was compromised as. Christina Ricci protected Ichabod from harm there via Witchcraft. All in all, I enjoyed it & can highly recommend it but there was this lingering annoyance over the religious prejudices.
Ted

DISTURBING SLEEPY HOLLOW
Date: Sun, 05 Dec 1999
From: Tom

I found "Sleepy Hollow" disturbing. Christianity was seen as oppressive, science was inadequate, and "white" magic was the apparent solution to the dilemma of the Headless Horseman. I was hoping that the characters would at least learn of the dangers of dabbling in the occult but, sadly, after the headless horseman returns to hell, Ichabod Crane opens his jacket and show Katrina that her book of spells has been next to his heart. Sad. And irresponsible.
Tom from Toronto, Canada